Shingal a ruined city, declares Iraqi parliament
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi parliament has declared Shingal a ruined city in today’s parliamentary session, a Kurdish Yezidi lawmaker told Rudaw on Thursday.
“After six months of collecting evidence with the cooperation of the Nineveh provincial council, today the Iraqi parliament voted on recognizing Shingal’s destruction and the majority of the votes supported declaring Shingal a ruined city,” said Vian Dakhil, an MP who is a Yezidi Kurd.
Dakhil, who was responsible for the motion before parliament, said that 85% of Shingal is destroyed and the Iraqi government is committed to participating in the renovation of the city.
ISIS attacked the predominantly Kurdish Yezidi town of Shingal in August 2014, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to the safety of nearby Mount Shingal where they were trapped for weeks. The militants unleashed a spree of violence, murdering the men and raping or kidnapping women or girls, many later sold as sex slaves.
On November 12, 2015, vowing that “no other flag will rise in [Shingal],” Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani declared the town liberated from ISIS, and congratulated Yezidi Kurds on the victory.
In February, Iraq’s parliament called on authorities to dedicate a special budget for the urgent reconstruction of Anbar, calling it “a ruined province” after it was recaptured from ISIS militants last month.
With the similar decision naming Shingal a ruined city, it is expected that a special budget will also be dedicated to the city’s reconstruction.
“After six months of collecting evidence with the cooperation of the Nineveh provincial council, today the Iraqi parliament voted on recognizing Shingal’s destruction and the majority of the votes supported declaring Shingal a ruined city,” said Vian Dakhil, an MP who is a Yezidi Kurd.
Dakhil, who was responsible for the motion before parliament, said that 85% of Shingal is destroyed and the Iraqi government is committed to participating in the renovation of the city.
ISIS attacked the predominantly Kurdish Yezidi town of Shingal in August 2014, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to the safety of nearby Mount Shingal where they were trapped for weeks. The militants unleashed a spree of violence, murdering the men and raping or kidnapping women or girls, many later sold as sex slaves.
On November 12, 2015, vowing that “no other flag will rise in [Shingal],” Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani declared the town liberated from ISIS, and congratulated Yezidi Kurds on the victory.
In February, Iraq’s parliament called on authorities to dedicate a special budget for the urgent reconstruction of Anbar, calling it “a ruined province” after it was recaptured from ISIS militants last month.
With the similar decision naming Shingal a ruined city, it is expected that a special budget will also be dedicated to the city’s reconstruction.